Natural Health: I'm slowly recovering from bug I picked up from my grandchildren

Plus how to help heal stubborn summer cystitis

Some herbal remedies are known to sooth the stomach and restore energy after sickness. Picture: iStock

Fri, 03 Jul, 2026 - 02:00

Megan Sheppard

I recently picked up a vomiting bug from my grandchildren. I’m mostly over it, but my stomach still feels queasy, and I feel exhausted. Is there a remedy I could take?

Certain herbal remedies may help settle your stomach and restore your energy levels. The first is raspberry leaf (Rubus idaeus), more commonly recognised as a tea to help with childbirth preparation. It provides nutrients such as calcium, iron, potassium, phosphorus, and vitamins A, C, and E and helps to reduce nausea and vomiting. The herb is also handy to have around to help prevent future stomach bugs from taking hold.

Make a tea using one heaped teaspoon of dried raspberry leaf per cup of near-boiling water, or you can use teabags.

Slippery elm (Ulmus fulva) is an excellent remedy for soothing an inflamed gut. It has been used internally and externally as food and medicine for thousands of years in Ayurvedic, Native American, Traditional Chinese, and Western medicine.

You can purchase slippery elm as a powder, which is mixed with warm or hot water until it forms a paste. Combine it with water until it is either thick enough to eat with a spoon (like porridge) or thin enough to drink like a cup of soup or broth.

Add raw honey, fruits (berries and grated apple are good choices), and spices such as cinnamon and ginger for additional flavour and healing properties. Use daily until you feel relief from your symptoms.

Finally, liquorice root (Glycyrrhiza glabra) is an excellent herbal tea that boosts your energy and supports your immune system. It will also help reduce inflammation after bouts of vomiting.

I tend to get cystitis, particularly during the summer. I make sure to drink plenty of water and take cranberry supplements, which help but don’t stop the infection in its tracks. What else can I do?

Drinking plenty of water is a great place to start, as it helps flush the bladder. Since the cranberry supplements aren’t helping to stop the infection, you might benefit from D-mannose. This fast-working natural supplement can help with urinary tract or bladder infections.

It works by binding to the bacteria responsible for bladder and urinary tract infections, so that it can be flushed out when you urinate. This means the bacteria don’t have a chance to stick to the bladder wall, where they tend to multiply.

D-mannose is water-soluble, meaning that it is absorbed and excreted rapidly, providing fast relief for sufferers of cystitis.

Waterfall D-mannose is available from pharmacies and health stores, or you can order it online from waterfall-d-mannose.com.

It is also worth noting that D-mannose is safe for use during pregnancy and breastfeeding, and it is often the remedy of choice for people who rely on a catheter.

There are two main types of cystitis. The first and most common is bacterial cystitis, usually a result of the bacteria from the anus (and/or vagina in females) being carried to the bladder. The second is caused by bladder inflammation, often as a result of dehydration, scented personal care products, or holding on to a full bladder frequently.

Uva Ursi is a herb I recommend for inflammatory cystitis, and it works even more effectively when combined with soothing marshmallow root. Marshmallow helps reduce inflammation and also protects the kidney area.

It is important not to take Uva Ursi while using cranberry supplements or even drinking cranberry juice, as the cranberry cancels out the benefits of Uva Ursi (also known as bearberry).

Refined sugar, often added to cranberry juice, causes inflammation in the body and feeds pathogenic bacteria.